Our Shanghai – Amsterdam flight arrived at 0505. Although our original plan was to spend a day and a half in the city, we decided we would extend our layover on the return leg. Our flight to Madrid departed at 1010. Five hours… what to do? The train to Amsterdam Central Station only takes 20 minutes, so we thought an early morning walk around the city would be nice.

Amsterdam Central Station

Empty street in Centrum

The streets were empty except for the occasional businessman or tourist walking to the train station. Everything was closed.

Canal view

It was very peaceful. We walked and walked.

Amsterdam’s Chinatown

And somehow, we walked straight to Amsterdam’s Chinatown.

Chinatown window

Chinatown Shop

We felt right at home.

Another canal view

We walked some more.

Early morning light is so beautiful.

And more. And eventually hit the red-light district. The famous windows were empty and the curtains were drawn. The lights were off. The streets were covered in beer bottles, cups, trash and who knows what. (I truly don’t want to know!) It was not the best place to be in Amsterdam at 7 AM. I guess the cleaning crews come later?

Back to Schiphol

We made our way back to the station, caught the 0830 train and arrived to Schiphol with plenty of time to pick up our carry-ons from a storage locker and make our way to the gate.

If you have more than 4 hours to wait in Amsterdam, make your way out through the baggage claim, store your carry-ons in the baggage lockers (outside baggage claim) and follow the signs to the train station. Buy a return ticket to Amsterdam Central Station. (Have cash as some windows do not take credit cards.) The trip takes 20 minutes. You can spend an hour or two wandering around before returning to the station. At the train station, look for an intercity train that stops at Schiphol. They leave every 15 minutes or so. You’ll need to keep an eye on your watch, but it is possible to see a little of the city. Schiphol, however, is probably one of the best airports in the world for long layovers if you don’t feel up to visiting the city.

Update: I’ve now noticed that there are luggage lockers inside the terminal, which is probably a lot more convenient then taking your carry-on bag out and then having to go back through security with it. Try to find a locker that is close to your departure gate, or close to where you will reenter the passenger side of the terminal after security. Take careful note of where you left it so you will not be stuck!!